Toho to build carbon fibre line at subsidiary

11 October 2007 11:40  [Source: ICIS news]

TOKYO (ICIS news)--Toho Tenax plans to build a new 1,700 tonnes/year carbon fibre production line at its German subsidiary for €51m ($72m) due to growing demand, the company said on Thursday.

 

Toho Tenax is a subsidiary of Japanese chemical and fibre producer Teijin Limited.

 

The unit to be built at the site of 100% subsidiary Toho Tenax Europe (TTE) in Oberbruch, Germany, is scheduled to start commercial production by August 2009.

 

This would increase TTE’s capacity of carbon fibre to 5,100 tonnes/year and Teijin group’s total to 13,500 tonnes/year, the company said.

 

Global demand for carbon fibre was expected to grow further, particularly in the European markets, Toho Tenax said.

 

With the capacity expansion, the company aimed to respond to an increase in demand for industrial applications as well as airplane manufacturing, it added.

 

The company noted that demand for these applications was expected to continue to grow at a rate of about 15% per annum between 2005 and 2010.

 

It added that the total global demand was estimated to exceed 40,000 tonnes in 2010.

 

Meanwhile, Toho Tenax was also building a new 2,700 tonnes/year carbon fibre production line at its Mishima factory in Shizuoka prefecture, Japan, which was expected to come on stream by April 2008, the company said.

 

Another 1,500 tonnes/year unit also started commercial production in October 2006 in Oberbruch, bringing TTE’s total capacity to 3,400 tonnes/year, the company added.

 

Carbon fibre is a high functional fibre with high mechanical strength and elasticity, and it’s one of Teijin group’s core products.

 

It has applications in airplane and space industries as well as sports and general industries, according to Toho Tenax.

 

($1 = €0.71)

By: Tomomi Yokomura
+65 6780 4359

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